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An Exercise in Higher Thinking

I am often asked, “What action should I take in this troublesome situation or in that troublesome situation?” My response is always the same, “You must make it a rule to follow an Essential Step of Progress – PUT FIRST THINGS FIRST – and think of the First Action as doing something with your mind that is different from what you usually do with it.
It matters not what the troublesome situation may be, if you do not consider putting first on your ‘action list’, a change in the way you do your thinking about the situation, then you can only react as you always reacted.

Thinking about a matter in a different manner requires refusing to think from impulsive thought patterns, refusing to think from standard thought-habits, refusing to think from your old reactive tendencies. This kind of new action requires taking the time to think things through from a fresh and new point of view.

When you react to a situation from impulsive thought patterns or reactive tendencies, it drains your creative energy; you find you are unable to come up with anything new. When drained of creative energy, you cannot help but do what you always did, which always gives you the results you always got.

A great way to catch a fresh insight into a troublesome situation is to slow down your thinking … and learn to R.O.A.R. The process of ROAR-ing is true action of progress – it immediately tosses out impulses and tendencies. ROAR-ing creates space for new thinking, which paves the way for a new response, which gives new results; results that move you closer to the outcome you seek to experience.

ROAR-ing is a healthy exercise in higher thinking. ROAR-ing requires that you suspend all judgments that you are holding toward troublesome situations.

• Do not conclude that the situation is ‘all bad’.
• Do not even insist that the situation contains a benefit that you’ve not yet found.
• Do not get angry when you cannot seem to see the situation differently.

Suspended judgment leaves space for something higher than the habitual. When you allow something higher to appear in your consciousness – the answer that you are seeking is seeking you.Suspending judgment always leaves you with a receptive mind; it gets you out of your own way so that you may drop useless thought-trinkets for valuable insights.

Please hold tight – the little orange book that reveals a simple four-step progressive process (R.O.A.R.), will be out soon. It shows you how to correctly use your unlimited supply of creative energy; how to overcome mental timidity; how to participate in independent thinking … what JOY!

Please offer a comment or insight to add more depth to this blog. What you offer others you get to keep; what you teach, you learn better. Out of this arises the power to be fully involved and get the most from what I sharing.

Thank you and blessings“Best Comment of the Week”. This weeks best comment comes from GeorgieBoy 1969. The runner up is Roger Pascal. See their comments here.

Reader Interactions

Comments

Hi Rob – I absolutely love the fresh ideas that always impact my life, right from your blog.
The following sentence really, really, really stood out to me: “When drained of creative energy, you cannot help but do what you always did, which always gives you the results you always got.” I take this right to my day to day life. When my mind is right, when I’m operating at my normal hustle (high energy), I find that everything goes smoother. Things move quickly, but still I can effectively assess situations, and decisions effortlessly come over me. On the other side – when I’m down and out, not in a good mood, I find the opposite occurs.
I love to learn. And more so, I love the results that come from applying my learnings. I always leave this blog feeling empowered and refreshed. I feel like I have a new nail strongly enforced into my internal construction site, which is building into a foundation of greatness..and all of this value for free. Wow!
Rob – thanks for the knowledge. Please know that the heartfelt energy that you emit into these posts is appreciated and taken with all seriousness.
Also, I must give my gratitude to you for being the conduit of opening my mind last fall. It’s changed my experience of life. Not only do I notice it within myself – but others notice it as well. so thanks! Happy New Years (almost)!

I like the calm wisdom with which you write these days, Jk. Before a person can deal with the howling NO’s of his (her) past, he must understand what they stand for. After a while, if one persists, there comes a great awakening. The howling NO’s of our past stand for ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! You have come to this point, Jk. You are ready for the next level of living. blessings.

I love putting first things first AND putting my thinking first should be primary. I usually react first and think afterwards. Not a good idea. I love the way you put things. I can understand your blogs and they help me.

Hahaha… I think you are reading my mind this week Rob! At first all this snow we had here was driving me crazy. My mind went spastic worrying about commuting and all the rest. It took me at least 24 hours to finally figure out there is nothing I can do about so I might as well enjoy it. Well I grabbed my friend and we went sledding and felt like kids again. You could say I was ROAR-ing about the situation and finally turned it around. I see now that it was exactly those ‘impulsive thoughts’ that were the culprits. Just as long as this is the last nor’easter of the winter I will be fine! 🙂

I like the humor that you use to make your point, Kara; it shows that you are beginning to take yourself less personally (great idea). The impersonal life is one where we no longer think that bad weather conditions or heavy traffic jams are all about us. blessings

I love the idea of “suspending judgment”. Most people are so quick to jump to some conclusion or react quickly when they should just let things be. People have to learn how to relax in this world. I see people snap and get way too angry about things, AND I see people get way too jacked-up and excited and make stooopid decisions. It’s like the world is trying to overstimulate us to either get us high or kick us to the curb. Just take it eaaasssy, I say.

Rob: What a great post. I really liked this one and it is filled with such wisdom. There really is a new way we can choose to live and it requires that we don’t just react, but change the way we go about things. I thought this post was so helpful in terms of pointing us in the right direction. Looking so forward to that “Little Orange Book” 🙂

There is a time, Sibyl, when we all realize that thoughts of other minds, no matter how true or beautiful, are not what is intended for each and every one of us individually. Infinite intelligence has reserved for each and every one of us our own teachings, which are ours and ours alone. You are beginning to grasp that fact. NICE! blessings

YO! What up ROB! HAPPY NEW YEAARRR! I’m ROARING into O-ELEVEN with YA. I can’t tell ya how many of my BOYZ need to read up on this SHIZNIT!!! Last week we were all out celebrating on XMAS EVE EVE and my BOY lost his wallet. He went NUTz thinkin some body lifted it. I just told him to be cool and we’ll figure it out… but No… he wanted to make a big DRAMA out of the whole thing. HE was a TOTAL-IE WET BLanket the whole night. TUrns out the DOPEY BASTID left it in his JAKET In the car!!! Had cooler heads prevailed he would have gotten his head outta his AZZ-BUTT and figure things out. PEOPLE GOT TO BE COOOL. PEAACEE OUTTTT ROOOB!! HOLLA Back. Did you get my email??!!

I love listening to you speak through your blog comments, Magic Marc. You are a marvelous piece of work! Your mind, you are preparing for your own use, and it is obvious that you have your own style (be it so very different from my style). Such a gift … thank you.

Hey Rob, and thanks for discussing here what is maybe the greatest key to happiness in this life– that of learning to change our perspective and change the way we perceive life’s events. I especially loved where you said:

Suspended judgment leaves space for something higher than the habitual.

As we become conscious of our Authentic-Selves, Marcus, we realize that we are the inspirer, we are the director of every original thoughts that enters our mind – such a magnificent prerogative to be granted at birth! Have you noticed? blessings

Happy New Year, Rob. This is great way for me to start 2011! I love the simplicity of just thinking about the problem in a different manner. All of our agitation and anxiety comes from wrong thinking. When we get thinking rightly, right action follows. Sometimes when a problem arises I say to myself, “I can’t think about that now.” I know that with a little time and perspective I will be ready to figure it out when the time is right. It’s about knowing ourselves while allowing things to be. We have to learn to trust that we are capable of handling whatever life throws at us. Thanks for a great year of blogging. Hope to catch another seminar soon 🙂

Hi Rob, Thanks for all your help in 2010. Sounds like 2011 is going to be busy for Mind Adventure. I’m excited for you and the “Orange Book”. This blog describes me to a T! When I am a little tired and cranky I lose it quickly. It’s like all the work and reading I’ve done goes out the window. I am quick to snap and get angry all over again. I really want to learn to be done with that side of me this year. I am still stuck with a ton of my impulses and tendencies.

Positive thinking has always made difference to my life in perspective and as we are starting new year, many of us are reflecting back and seeing where have been, where we are going and improve upon mistakes that we made and making. This post ties well for me in same direction.

You are awakening, rising up, and declaring your sovereignty in your world of experiences, Preeti. This has been apparent in the evolution of your comments to my blogs in 2010. I suspect 2011 is going to be a big breakthrough year for you! blessings

Hey Rob, In case you wondering I didn’t find a hot date for New Years. But this was a big lesson for me. This blog actually talks a lot about my experience. I can see now that I got way too worked up about having like a perfect New Years and then barely enjoyed myself at all (I think I drank too much too). I basically concluded that the situation was “all bad” like you said and I just made things worse. If I had to do it over again I would have just gone out and relaxed and enjoyed the company I was with. Ah well, I’m a work in progress!

Not to sure about this one, Rob. My situation just plain stinks: Still unemployed with no prospects on the horizon. I know its not “all bad” (although I spent enough time depressed and feeling like it is). I just don’t know how to get over the feeling of anger that still can hit me pretty hard. The reality stinks but I don’t want to get all “new-agey” and believe that positive thinking is all I need to do.

Hello Rob. You limn a very important subject. Allowing the reality of situation to be as it is without judgment is an enlightening experience. We all expect things to be a certain way. When we try to twist and torture reality to fit into our expectations it causes undue suffering. Acceptance of a situation, no matter how distasteful it may seem at first is the key to transforming our suffering into peace, joy and liberation.